Supreme Court asks lower courts not to be 'soft' on rape convicts

New Delhi, Aug 27: In the wake of protests against the recent Mumbai gangrape case, the Supreme Court (SC)on Tuesday said that a compromise between the rapist and the survivor cannot be the ground to reduce the sentence of the convict.

The judges said: "Rape is an offence against the society and there is no scope for a compromise." Even if the convict offers to marry the survivor it will not reduce the sentence of rape convicts, the judges added after the recent gangrape of a photojournalist jolted the entire nation.

The judges were hearing the case of a man who was sentenced 10-years for a gangrape in Haryana. The woman, however, said that she was leading a normal life as she was married and had kids and hoped that the convict be released soon.

SC said that the long delay in the case trials and the rape survivor settling down in life was no reason to reduce the punishment of the convicts. In fact SC has warned the lower courts saying that despite of having strict laws, judges were handing out light sentences to rapists.

SC urged the lower courts saying that they should not be 'soft' or be 'lenient' while handing out judgement to the rape convicts.